Review: Private by Kate Brian

CONTEMPORARY TEEN FICTION

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy--the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.

Until she meets the Billings Girls.

They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.

Reed uses every part of herself--the good, the bad, the beautiful--to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer-clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.

I was blown away by Private. I always love a good Gossip-Girl-reminiscent novel with a glamorous plot and lots of bitchy characters for the main character to take down. But I really had no idea how much I was going to love this one when I picked it up.

Kate Brian has always been on my to-read list, whether it's this Private series (now) or her other solo books, such as Ex-mas and The Virginity Club. So when I saw a stack of the first half of the Private series at the library, I was like, "Yes! Why not try the first half of the series out and then come back for more later if I like them?" I can most definitely tell you all that I will be coming back for more.

In my previous reviews, I complained about the word choice being so unusual for such a fluffy novel. But in this novel, the smarter words fit in just fine, because Reed is a smart main character. And the plot is so complex that you have to be intelligent to keep up with it, and oh, of course: no one wants a frothy novel about boarding school bitches.

Noelle, Ariana, Kiran, and Taylor are THE girls on campus. They live in the outrageously furnished Billings House and have the best scalloped cashmere sweaters, the best designer bags, and the best facial features. So when Ariana, the quiet one who always looked sort of ethereal, invites Reed to hang out with them, she does...and that's where their friendship begins. I loved getting to see how Reed tried to work her way into the circle, only to be rejected by another mistake, but she tried again. Persistent characters are always great. Of course, this could have backfired, seeming like Reed worshipped them or something and had no ground to stand on, but it was the other way. I, as the reader, wanted Reed to get into the Billings Girl because she so completely belonged there.

Also, in the summary on the back of the book, I felt that they missed a huge part--Thomas Pearson, one of the hottest players on campus who Reed is already falling for. He lays on the charm pretty thick first, takes her virginity sweetly, and then drops a bomb Reed never even saw coming...

Yep, I'm not going to reveal anything about that. It'll spoil the book. Anyhow, I have to mention that the plot SEEMS deceptively simple when you're first just reading a summary or flicking through the pages. But the complexity of Private is almost...invincible. I'm not really sure that was the right word, but whatever. My point is clear. Inside the skeleton framework of a boarding school novel is a whole lot of meat. I think why the skeleton is so meaty is partially because Reed's thoughts and feelings are always described in depth throughout the whole book. I really do feel like I'm living through the experience of being a scholarship girl on Easton with her, which is why I might like--okay, love--the book so much.

Okay, so I'm about to close up this review now. But stay tuned for the next review in the Private series: I have half the series stacked high in the basket I use for my books, so my next few reviews will revolve around the Private series. And they may be worth checking out, because Private gets five stars!